Read: John 13:31-35
By this all people will know that you are my disciples. (v. 35)
How would the people around you know that you believe in Jesus? Is it by what you wear—a cross necklace or Christian T-shirt? Will it be by the music you listen to? Or by the bumper stickers on your car or the signs on your lawn? How would someone know you’re a follower of Jesus?
Jesus himself gives us the answer: if you love one another. After Judas left to betray Jesus, Jesus turned to his disciples and said he didn’t have much time left. He’d go where they couldn’t go: to the cross, resurrection, and ascension. The disciples went wherever Jesus went, but not there. Then Jesus gave them a commandment that holds true for all his disciples throughout the ages: “Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (v. 34). We have been loved by Jesus and we must show Christlike love to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Following this command demonstrates to the world that we’re Jesus’s disciples (v. 35). Here’s the test: do we love one another?
How will people know you believe in Jesus? It won’t be by what you wear, what you eat, or your social media profile, but by how you love your brothers and sisters in Christ. If we slander, mistreat, or hate our fellow Christians, our lives proclaim that we don’t really know Jesus. But if we love as he loves, then everyone will know we’re his disciples.
As you pray, ask Jesus to help you love others as he has loved you.
About the Author
Stephen Shaffer is the pastor at Bethel Reformed Church in Brantford, Ontario.
